Today is the publish date of a new golf book that should be of interest to anyone with an appreciation for the history of the game, particularly for exploring some of its lesser-known legends. The book, from Hyperion, is called The Match (compare prices) and it's by Mark Frost.Even if you don't recognize the author's name, you are probably familiar with his work. Among his several books on golf is the enduringly popular The Greatest Game Ever Played (compare prices), the story of the 1913 U.S. Open and the unlikely triumph of Francis Ouimet. The book was later made into a movie (compare prices) of the same name, starring Shia LeBeouf.
An accident of history from that 1913 U.S. Open is that Ouimet's caddie for the week was a diminutive 10-year-old boy named Eddie Lowery (you can see a photo of him on our Francis Ouimet bio page).
I mentioned "lesser-known legends" in the opening sentence, and Lowery - who took part as a 10-year-old in one of golf's best-known legends - grew up to play a role in the lesser-known one that Frost explores in The Match. By the mid 1950s, Lowery was a wealthy car dealer in California, and a benefactor of amateur golf who often gave jobs to top amateur golfers to help support their games.
One year during the Bing Crosby Pro-Am, Lowery and another wealthy businessman were talking golf, and Lowery boasted that he had two amateurs working for him who could beat any two golfers the other fella could come up with.
And a few days later, the legendary match that forms the basis of this book - Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward vs. Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson - was played at Cypress Point Golf Club. That four-ball match, while sometimes called the greatest match ever played, has been practically invisible in golf history up to this point. But The Match will likely change that.
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You can also buy the book now, or visit the publisher's site for more info.
(Image courtesy Hyperion; used with permission)
Comments
What a great read. If you like golf or to read about golf this is the one. It really describes the area and Cypress Point Golf Course very well. If you’ve been there before this book will take back in your mind. Highly recommend this book.
I can read better than my keyboard can spell.